El Salvador: a guide for beginners

Chris Moss offers a guide to El Salvador, ahead of this year's celebrations to
mark the bicentenary of Latin America's fight for independence.

El Sunzal has good beaches and is a haven for surfersPhoto: CORBIS

By Chris Moss

11:29AM GMT 19 Mar 2010

El Salvador, bordered by the Pacific Ocean, Guatemala and Honduras, was part of the Captaincy General of Guatemala. With independence from Spain in 1821, it became briefly a part of the Mexican Empire and when this collapsed (1823) joined the Central American Federation. El Salvador protested over the dominance of Guatemala and under Francisco Morazán succeeded in having the federal capital transferred to San Salvador. The country went to war with Honduras in 1969 over immigration issues, which coincided with violent riots that broke out when the countries’ two teams met in the qualifying round of the 1970 World Cup. The four-day conflict is known as La Guerra del Fútbol or Football War.

Top five attractions

The archaeological site of Joya de Cerén, a pre-Columbian village preserved under volcanic ash; the mountain scenery along the Ruta de las Flores, lined with sugarcane and coffee plantations and backed by volcanoes; El Imposible National Park, part of the Apaneca-Ilamatepec mountain range, where the tropical forest is home to a rich flora and fauna; El Sunzal on the Pacific coast, which has good beaches and is a haven for surfers; and the artificial Lago de Suchitlán near Suchitoto: lie back on a boat and spot hawks and falcons on the shores.

Best city

The historical town of Suchitoto, about an hour’s drive from San Salvador, is a lovely colonial place, popular with artists and musicians. Peek – or check – into Hotel Los Almendros, a former hacienda that has been completely renovated, blending colonial features with modern furnishings and El Salvadoran artwork and antiques.

Look out for popusarias – tiny cones that conceal an artistic scene inside; Dominga Herrera, an artist, makes some that open to reveal couples engaged in passionate embrace.

Quirky El Salvador

Every August 31 the town of Nejapa celebrates the Bolas de Fuego (Balls of Fire) festival, during which youths paint their faces and throw balls of fire at each other to commemorate either a past volcanic eruption or – according to the faithful – a fight in which St Jerome attacked the devil with fireballs.

Read

Salvador by Joan Didion (Vintage) looks unsparingly at the recent history of terror and civil war.